Among the successful casino card games are LET IT RIDE® bonus poker, THREE CARD POKER® game and CARIBBEAN STUD® poker. These games have each achieved a high level of commercial success with different formats and attributes.
LET IT RIDE® stud poker is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,081. The bonus version of the game is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,424. In this game, the player makes a wager in three parts. Three cards are dealt to each player (there may be only a single player), and two common cards are dealt face down in front of the dealer. The player examines his/her three cards, evaluates the likelihood of a ranked hand (e.g., at least a pair of tens) being achieved with those three cards and the as yet unseen common cards. The player, based on judgment of that likelihood, may elect to withdraw the first of the three-part wager or keep the wager at risk. Upon the player making that decision, and withdrawing or allowing the first wager to remain at risk, a first of the common cards is turned face up. The player then can make another decision with regard to the play of the hand and whether there is a changed potential for a ranked hand. A second portion of the three-part wager is then withdrawn or allowed to remain at risk. After this decision, the last common card is exposed, and the rank of each player's hand, including the common cards, is evaluated. Payments are made to each player based on only the rank of hand achieved and the number of wagers left on the table from the original three-part wager. As noted, at least one wager must remain, as only two parts can have been withdrawn. Wagers are paid off at rates (or odds), for example, of 1:1 for pairs of at least tens, 2:1 for two pairs, 3:1 for three of a kind, 5:1 for straights, 7:1 for flushes, 12:1 for full houses, 50:1 for four of a kind, 250:1 for straight flushes, and 1000:1 for royal flushes. The specific payout odds can be varied and often casinos choose payout tables that help them achieve a desired theoretical hold percentage. Side bonus wagers may also be placed in which ranked hands over three of a kind receive fixed or progressive bonuses, such as $25,000 for a royal flush. The bonus payouts and hand combinations are typically displayed on a payout table on the table surface. The winning bonus combinations are typically a higher-ranking subset of the winning base game outcomes.
The THREE CARD POKER® game (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,774) deals three cards to each player and three cards to the dealer, all face down. In some commercial forms of the game, one dealer card is dealt face-up. Initially, one or two optional wagers may be made by the player. One such wager is for the “PAIR PLUS®” bonus bet, a bet on achieving a winning combination included in a payout table. Another wager is the game ante on which the player competes against the dealer. The Pair Plus bet in one example of the invention is a wager that the three-card hand will have a rank of at least one pair or more. The hand is paid off in multiples of the bet depending upon the rank of the hand, with up to 40:1 or more paid out for a straight flush. In the ante wager, if the player wants to compete against the dealer's hand (after viewing the rank of the player's hand), an additional wager equal to the ante must be placed by the player. The dealer's hand is then exposed. If the dealer does not have a hand of at least a certain qualifying rank (e.g., at least queen high), the dealer's hand is not in play. If the player has not made the additional wager, the ante is collected by the dealer. When the dealer hand does not qualify and the player has made the additional play wager, the ante is paid off to the player if the dealer's hand is not as high a rank as the player's hand and the play bet pushes. If the dealer's hand has qualified, and the dealer's hand is higher than the player's hand, then the ante and the additional wager are collected by the house. If the dealer's hand qualifies (e.g., at least queen high) and is lower than the player's hand rank, both the ante and additional wager are paid off, with multiples payable to the ante wager for certain high-ranking hands (e.g., straights, flushes, straight flushes, three of a kind, etc.). The ranking of the various poker hands is different in the three-card game than in five-card poker games.
In CARIBBEAN STUD® poker, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553, a player makes an initial ante wager, and five cards are dealt to each player and to a dealer. Players play against a dealer hand. The dealer exposes one of the five cards in the dealer hand to influence the player. The player decides if the dealt player hand is of sufficient rank to compete against the dealer's hand. The player may fold the player's hand at that time, or continue the game by placing an additional wager (referred to as the “bet”) that is twice the value of the ante. The dealer's hand qualifies for active play against the bet only with a rank of ace-king or higher. If the dealer qualifies, the rank of the players' hands is compared with the rank of the dealer's hand. Players with hands of higher rank than the dealer's hand win both the ante and the bet. Players with hands of lower rank than the dealer's hand lose both the ante and the bet. If an initial side bet (often referred to as the jackpot side bet) has been made by the player, ranked hands of particularly high values (e.g., at least a flush) are paid absolute bonus amounts or may be paid out of a progressive jackpot. This bonus side bet is paid whether or not the player's hand rank exceeds the rank of the dealer's hand.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,100,137; 5,167,413; 5,242,163; 5,251,897; 5,322,295; 5,411,257; 5,437,451; and 5,820,460 to Fulton, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,842 to Cabot et al., describe games and apparatus in which a player may increase an initial wager after partial viewing of the players hand in a video gaming apparatus or casino table card game. Only “doubling the bet” (a wager equal to the initial ante) is literally disclosed. There are no options on the part of the player with respect to placing wagers of more than one times the initial wager in the game.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,489,101 and 5,531,448 to Moody describe poker games in which a player attempts to form a five-card poker hand that has the highest poker hand ranking. In the house banked version, all players play against the house and not against each other. The game is played with a standard fifty-two card deck. The game is played by a dealer and from one to seven players. Each player makes a bet and a portion of each bet may be allocated to a progressive jackpot. The dealer deals five cards to each player. The dealer then deals six cards as the community cards, which are arranged face down in three rows in a triangle pattern on the gaming table layout. The players may discard from none to five unwanted cards. The dealer turns up the community cards and pre-designated groups of cards from the community cards that are used for each player to make a complete five-card poker hand. The dealer determines the best hand each player has made according to poker hand rankings. All winning hands will be paid by the dealer according to the odds listed in the pay table. When a progressive jackpot payout is used, the dealer examines the six community cards to determine if one of the predetermined card arrangements has occurred. Any winning payouts from the progressive jackpot are distributed to the players at the table. The method may also be played as a player banked game or as a pot game. In one version of the present invention, the dealer deals three cards to each player. The dealer then deals eight cards as the community cards, which are arranged in groups or pairs of two cards each on the gaming table layout. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the card layout is in the format of a directional compass with a pair of cards each at the North position, East position, South position and West position, respectively.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,993 to Merlino et al. describes a method of playing a poker-type wagering game on top of a table layout having first and second player locations, a plurality of betting areas associated with each of the player locations and a community card area. The method includes a first player placing a wager on top of each of the betting areas associated with the first player location. A second player places a wager on top of each of the betting areas associated with the second player location. Each player receives two playing cards. A number of community cards are dealt face down in the community card area in a predetermined pattern. The number of community cards corresponds to the number of betting areas in one of the player locations. The faces of community cards are exposed in succession. Each time a community card is exposed, each of the players can either fold, wherein the folding player loses a number of wagers that corresponds to the number of community cards exposed or the players can leave all of the wagers on the corresponding betting areas until all of community cards are exposed. Once all of the community cards are exposed, each of the players combines his or her pair of cards with three of the community cards to form a completed stud poker hand. The player with the highest ranking hand wins all of the wagers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,525 to Breeding describes a wagering card game in which the player makes an initial bet to participate in a base game. Prior to the play of the game, the dealer will display at least one additional card from the deck. After viewing this card or cards, the player is given an opportunity to place an additional wager that would qualify the player for an additional winning. By giving the player the opportunity to see at least one card in the deck, considerable insight is provided into the probabilities of certain hands being created. The Breeding patent recites a method of playing a wagering game using a deck of cards having a predetermined rank, comprising the steps of: (a) a player placing a first wager to participate in a base game; (b) a dealer dealing cards; (c) the dealer intentionally displaying at least one card from the deck and discarding that card; (d) the player placing a second optional wager after viewing the discarded card to simultaneously participate in a second wagering game; (e) completing play of the base game; and (f) resolving the player's first and second wagers, based upon the player's hand, resolution of the first wager being accomplished according to the standard rules of the base game while resolution of the second wager is accomplished according to a payout scheme.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,702 to McDoniel describes a method for playing a modified multiple betting round card game wherein a player has the opportunity to “cap” his/her bet, i.e., limit his or her risk by placing a ceiling on the amount the player wishes to bet. Once a player has initiated a hand, the player may check, call, bet, raise, or cap during subsequent betting intervals while maintaining his or her eligibility to win the bets placed and forfeited by other players during the betting intervals, which the player successfully completed. The bets placed by each player during each betting interval are kept separate and are organized according to betting columns printed on a game table. When the hand is finished, the dealer settles all bets made during each individual betting interval. Beginning with the last betting interval, the dealer awards all bets placed and forfeited to the player with the strongest hand who successfully completed the final betting interval. The dealer then settles the remaining intervals working from last to first. There is no description of the relative size of the wagers (to the ante) that may be placed. There are multiple betting intervals with the five community cards. Players play against each other, not against a pay table.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,958 to Andrews describes a method of playing at a gaming table a player-versus-pay table five-card stud poker game for up to seven players utilizing the 20 royal cards of a standard 52-card poker deck as a royal deck of cards with player awards based upon predetermined amounts related to a pay table of winning five-card hands. Bet wagers are initially accepted from each player at the gaming table, up to three cards are dealt face down to each of the occupied player positions at the table, and up to three cards from the royal deck of cards are dealt face down to a dealer position at the table. Each player, after viewing the dealt cards, is permitted to stand on the bet wager or double the bet wager, after which one of the face-down cards at the dealer position is up-turned for use as a community card by the players. Each player is then permitted to stand on the hand and bets or triples the bet wager after which the remaining face-down card or cards at the dealer position are up-turned for use as a community card by the players. Each player hand is up-turned and the hand, incorporating the community cards at the dealer position, is evaluated to determine whether or not such hand is a winning hand with respect to the pay table of winning hands, with each winning hand paid off in accordance with the pay table. The “double” and “triple” of the bet wager is a repeated one-to-one wager. The players also play against the dealer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,081 to Bochichio et al. describes a card game that affords each player an opportunity to wager his hand as having a poker rank higher or lower than all other players. A dealer deals a first deal of one card face down to each player followed by a second deal of one card face up to each player. Thereafter, players either wager or fold. The dealer then proceeds to deal one card face down to all remaining players and places one card face up on the table as a community card available to all players. After a further round of wagering, the face-down cards of all players are exposed and a high-hand winner is selected as the player having the highest rank three-card hand among all players. Similarly, the low-hand winner is selected as the player having the best low rank three-card hand among all players. The total pot of wagers is divided between the best high-hand and low-hand winners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,529 to de Keller describes a poker game played on a blackjack style table with a single dealer. The player opening the betting is rotated for each game. The game is played with chips/counters of various denominations. At the start of each game, all players place a bet of equal value in their respective pots. Players then place Bet 1 (the maximum and minimum value thereof being determined by the house) and each player is dealt two cards (this number may vary), face down, and the dealer receives three cards (this number may vary), one face up and two face down. The three dealer's cards are community cards, referred to as the “flop” and complete each player's hand. At this stage, the players know the identity of three cards and each player has the option of discarding their first or second card, or both, face down. Replacements, face down, are received for discards. Players may, at this stage, either “stand” by making no further bets or “raise” by wagering on Bet 2. The Bet 2 wager must be exactly equal in value to the amount wagered on Bet 1. When all wagers have been placed on Bet 2, a fourth card is revealed by the dealer. Players may again either stand at this stage or raise by wagering on Bet 3. Players are not permitted to make a third bet if they have not placed the second bet. The Bet 3 wager must be exactly equal in value to the amount wagered on Bet 1. When all third bets have been placed, the dealer turns up a fifth card. Each player reveals his or her cards and, provided they show a winning hand based on the list of poker hand rankings, are paid according to the total stake placed at the corresponding pay-offs/odds. The player with the highest poker hand is awarded all the pot bets. In the event of players holding identical hands, the pot is shared. No matter how many cards constitute community cards or how many cards are dealt to each player, the players select five cards to make up their hands. There is no variation in wagering allowed, and competition includes wagers against the pot and the dealer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,118 to Poitra describes a method of playing a poker-type game wherein the game provides the players an opportunity to increase the amount wagered based upon two of the three community cards shown. After each player places a bet, two cards are dealt face down to each player and three cards are dealt face down to the dealer that are “community cards.” The dealer then turns over two of the three community cards so that they are face up. Each player has the opportunity to “double-down.” The dealer then turns over the remaining community card and then turns over each player's two cards. The bets are resolved by using the three community cards in combination with each player's two cards based upon a predetermined plurality of winning card combinations similar to poker. The card deck is a standard 52-card deck with one joker to make a 53-card deck. The joker is utilized only in certain combinations as a “wild card.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,981 to Grauzer et al. describes a casino wagering game comprising a poker card game played with conventional playing cards, comprising: (a) first, dealing two cards face down to each player, (b) second, conducting a round of betting after the two cards have been dealt, (c) third, dealing three community cards face up, wherein each community card is usable by any player to form a five-card poker hand, (d) fourth, conducting another round of betting after the third community card has been dealt; (e) fifth, dealing one community card face up, (f) sixth, conducting another round of betting after one community card has been dealt, (g) seventh, dealing one card face down to each player, (h) eighth, conducting a further round of betting, and (i) ninth, exposing the dealt cards to determine which player has the winning five-card poker hand, wherein each hand comprises three cards dealt to a player plus the four community cards; said steps (a) through (i) being conducted sequentially, beginning with steps (a) and concluding with step (i).